The principal designate of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Professor Eudine Barriteau, the first woman to lead the tertiary-level institution, had an extensive conversation with the NATION’s North American correspondent Tony Best about the current campus and its future direction. Here is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: What are your priorities?
A: I have two main priorities. They are a return to financial viability of the campus and a return to student growth.
The Government has imposed tuition fees for students. It continues to maintain the 80:20 ratio. Before, the Government paid the tuition fees and the economic cost. Now they are paying the economic cost and students have to pay the tuition fees. It came suddenly at a time of economic recession and because of the way it was introduced there was a drop-off in student numbers.
The campus has worked very hard to have that returned. I have heard about bursaries and I will be very grateful for that. The bursaries will definitely help.
Q: What’s your strategy to increase the numbers?
A: When I take office my management team and I will have to work very assiduously to grow the numbers of students and one of the ways we will do that is through internationalisation.
The campus has many positive internal factors, internal to management of the campus in terms of the plant and equipment, the facilities, institutional accreditation, quality assurance standards and excellent student services.
Barbados itself has many positive internal factors – location, climate, international connections, very good [information technology] facilities and also excellent accommodation (for students). Combining these external factors with some aggressive programme development which Professor Sir Hilary Beckles put in place, we can return the campus to where it was.
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